Iraq has requested that Türkiye extend the current Kirkuk–Ceyhan oil pipeline agreement for at least one year to give both sides additional time to finalize a new deal, the head of Iraq’s state oil marketer SOMO has said.
The decades-long Türkiye–Iraq Crude Oil Pipeline agreement, which regulates exports through Iraq’s Kirkuk and southern Türkiye’s Ceyhan route, is set to expire on July 27.
Türkiye had previously indicated it would not renew the agreement under its existing terms, prompting ongoing negotiations over a revised framework between Baghdad and Ankara.
In a statement on June 14, SOMO chief Ali Nizar said Iraq formally asked Türkiye for an extension to allow further discussions on a replacement agreement covering this key export corridor.
He also noted that Iraq exported 12 million barrels of crude from its southern terminals since the beginning of June.
On the Turkish side, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar earlier emphasized the need for any new arrangement to ensure fuller utilization of the pipeline, which has a capacity of 1.5 million barrels per day but has historically operated below that level.
He also pointed out that Türkiye has invested significantly in maintaining the infrastructure.
In March, Baghdad and Erbil agreed in March to channel part of Iraq’s oil exports through northern infrastructure linked to the Ceyhan terminal, starting at 250,000 barrels per day, with plans to increase flows to 770,000 barrels per day within two and a half months.
Following disruptions linked to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran conflict, Bayraktar supported extending the Iraq–Türkiye pipeline further south to Basra, Iraq’s main oil-producing region. He argued that the route should ultimately be capable of transporting volumes exceeding those currently produced in the country’s northern fields.
